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B. W. GRIST & E. OELLISON. ELECTRICAL IGNITER FOR GAS ENGINES.

No. 595,016. Patented De0.7, 1897.

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B. W. GRIST 8v E. OELLISON. ELECTRICAL IGNITER FOR GAS ENGINES.

No. 595,016. Patented De0.'7,1897.

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No. 595,016. Patented De0.7, 1897.

-Y/V'l I1 ESEE 5.. X94 %@M UNTTnn STATES PATENT OrFIcE.

BENJAMIN WV. GRIST AND EDMUND OELLISON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYL- VANIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE PENNSYLVANIA IRON XVORKS COMPANY, OF

SAME PLACE.

ELECTRICAL IGNITER FOR GAS-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,016, dated December 7, 1897.

Application filed August 1396- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN W. GRIsT and EDMUND OELLIsON, citizens of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphiau and State of Pennsylvania,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Igniters for Gas-Engines; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to gas or other explosive engines, has especial reference to I 5 means for producing an electric spark for igniting the gas or vapor used for propelling the piston of the engine, and consists in certain improvements in construction, which will be fully disclosed in the following speci- 2o fication and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective showing the igniting device applied to an engine; Fig. 2, a vertical section, partly in side elevation, showing the electrodes in operative position; Fig. 3, a top plan View of one of the electrodes; Fig. i, a horizontal section through the cylinder and showing a top plan view of the releasing mechanism,

and Fig. 5 a front elevation of the releasing mechanism.

Reference being had to the drawings and the letters thereon, A indicates part of an en gine-cylinder or combustion-chamber of an 3 5 engine in which gas, vapor, or other explosive compound is used as motive power; B, an electrode having an arm a at its inner end at an angle to the shaft 1), which is supported in a brass bearing 0, which is supported in a 0 sleeve 61, with a proper insulator e, such as mica, between the bearing and the sleeve, and in the outer end of the bearing 0 is a stuffingboXf, provided with a gland g. To the outer end of the shaft l) is attached an arm h, to the 5 outer end of which is attached a spiral spring 1', whose opposite end is attached to a post 70, which must be insulated from the cylinder.

0 indicates an eccentric cam secured to the upper end of a post Z and is movable thereon to determine the extent of oscillatoryrot-a- Serial No. 603,524. (No model.)

tion of the electrode B, regulate the time of separation of the electrodes, and is capable of being operated by hand to produce a spark to start the engine. The cam after having been adjusted to the desired position is set by a nut in on the end of the post Z and bearing upon the cam. The cam is provided with a handle a to operate it, and the post Z must also be properly insulated.

D indicates one of the wires of an electric 6o battery attached to the outer end of the shaft 1) of the electrode 13.

E indicates the other electrode, which is provided with an arm 0 and a shaft 1), which shaft is supported in a sleeve q, having a stuffing-box and gland 8. To the outer end of the shaft 1) is attached an arm 25, secured in any suitable manner, as by a key or spline (not shown) and by a nut u on the extreme end of the shaft, and in the outer end of the arm 15 is a bolt '0, with a square head w on the inner side of the arm and a nut 00 on the outer end of the bolt to secure it to the arm. To a stud or pin 3 on the arm 25 is attached one end of a spiral spring ,2, whose opposite end is secured to a post a on the engine-cylinder and also properly insulated therefrom, the function of said spring being to separate the electrodes B and E.

On the outer end of the sleeve 1 is a disk b, movable thereon by means of a pitmanrod 0, suitably connected to the engine for the purpose of imparting oscillatory motion to the electrode E to close the electric circuit by bringing said electrode and the electrode B into contact by their arms a and 0 engaging, and to the outer surface and upon the upper part of said disk is attached a hook d, with the under side of which the square head to of the bolt 11 engages and by the shoulder e is raised to its normal position after an electric spark has been produced and the charge in the cylinder ignited. Upon the upper edge of the hook d rests a leaf-spring f for the purpose of holding the finger g on .5 the hook in engagement with the hub h on the outer end of the sleeve q, and to said hub is secured a leaf-spring i, which extends part way around said hub and forms a cam at 7t" to lift the hook (1 out of engagement with the loo bolt 0 on the arm 25, and its outer end arrests and supports the arm 25 after it has been released from the hook d until the arm is again taken up by the hook.

The adjacent sides of the arms a and 0 of the electrodes 13 and E are provided with pieces m 'n of platinum or silver, and the opposite wire F of the electric battery is attached to the binding-post 0, as shown in Fig. 1. I

The parts being constructed substantially as described, the operation is as follows: When a downward motion is given to the rod 0 by the engine, hook cl will engage the part 20 of the bolt 12 in arm 6 and impart a rotary motion to the electrode E and bring its arm 0 in contact with the arm a of the electrode B and push electrode B around on its axis and the arm 72 away from the cam C. At this point the shoulder e on the hook d comes in contact with the free end Z of the spring 11, throws the hook upward, and releases arm t.

Spring z, acting on arm 25, draws the arm electrodes causes the arms a and 0 to draw or slide upon their adjacent surfaces and produce awipe-joint to remove carbon and keep the points of contact bright and clean; but the arms do not pass each other. The spark is produced at the instant the arms a and 0 of the electrodes separate. It will be observed that the arm a of the electrode B has a side or lateral motion imparted to it and the arm 0 of electrode E a downward motion, thus causing the points m and n to rub against each other.

Having thus fully described our invention, What weclaim is- 1. An electrical igniting device for gas or other explosive engines, having two normally a separated and oscillatory electrodes, a spring 1 for each electrode, connections from the engine for moving one into contact with the other and an automatic releasing mechanism;

in combination with means for limiting the Thearms a and 0 being arranged at an angle to each other, the axial motion imparted to the shafts of the motion produced by the springs and so placed as to allow the contact to be broken.

2. An electrical igniting device for gas or other explosive engines, having two normally separated and oscillatory electrodes arranged at an angle to each other to produce a drawing motion of the contact-points of the electrodes, a spring for each electrode and means connected with the engine for moving one electrode into contact with the other; in combination with an automatic releasing mechanism and means for arresting the electrodes and so placed as to allow the contact to be broken.

3. An electrical igniting device for gas or other explosive engines, having two opposing electrodes movable on their axes and each provided with a spring, means for moving the electrodes in combination with an automatic releasing mechanism secured .to the shaft of one of the electrodes and stops for arresting the electrodes and so placed as to allow the contact to be broken.

4. An igniting device for gas or other explosive engines having opposing oscillatory electrodes one of which is operated positively by a liberating mechanism controlled'by the engine, in combination with a resisting mechanism connected to the other electrode and a hand device operating on said resisting mechanism for separating the electrodes to start the engine.

5. An igniting device for gas or other explosive engines having opposing electrodes, one of which is provided with a releasing mechanism, consisting of an arm secured to the end of the shaft of the electrode, a spring connected to said arm and to the engine-cylinder, an oscillating disk operated by the engine, a hook supported by said disk and engaging the arm on the shaft of the electrode and a tripping device.

6. An igniting device for gas or other explosive engines having opposing electrodes, an operating-armattached to the shaft of one of said electrodes, a spring for operating said arm and an eccentric cam engaging the arm for the purpose set forth.

BENJAMIN W. GRIST. EDMUND CELLISON.

WVit-nesses:

JAMns E. GRIST, CHAS. DICKERMAN.

ICC 

